Rotary signboard



June 16, 1931. A. BURCH ROTARY 5 I GNBOARD Filed Oct. 27, 1928 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT R 1.5:: A? Burch M ZT4EY June 16, 1931. A. BURCH1,809.960

ROTARY SIGNBQARD Fi'led Oct. 2?, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig 3 1 8 i /6 um" -9 INVENTOR 918 A. Bard:

Patented June 16, 1931 LOUIS A. BURCH, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON ROTARYSIGNBOABD Application filed October 27,- 1928. Serial No. 315,401.

The invention is a rotary sign board comprising a plurality of signboards rotatably mounted in a frame in combination with a plurality ofsails pivotally mounted upon a frame that is rotatably mountedin theframe with the sign boards and geared to the sign board to propel thesame.

The object of the invention is to provide a plurality of sign boardswith means whereby they may beefiiciently operated by wind.

Another object 'ofthe invention is to provide means for mounting aplurality of sign boards and means for rotating the said sign boardswhereby the wind may rotate the sign boards and the rotation speed ofthe sign boards may be governed.

Another object is to provide a plurality of eccentrically mounted sailson a rotatable frame with bumpers to stop and hold the sails for theeffective part of their cycle to produce rotation. Another object is toprovide a rotatable frame having a plurality of signs or the like on theouter surfacethereof, in combination with means whereby'wind may causethe said signboards to rotate, in which gears are provided between therotating means and the sign board frame which will cause the frame torotate at a lesser speed than the rotating means.

A further object of the invention is to provide suitable bearings for anoutdoor rotating sign board frame, and for means for.

rotating the same by wind, which are simple 7 and inexpensive and at thesame time efficient.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a suitable brakefor a rotating frame for sign boards or the like which willautomatically operate to maintain a substantially constant rotatingspeed. c

And a still further object of the'invention is to provide a rotatingframe with a plurality of sign boards or the like on the outer surfacethereof, in combination with means for operating the same by wind, whichis of a comparatively simple and economical construction. I r p Withthese ends in view the invention embodiesa frame, a plurality of signboards on the outer surface of the frame, a stand in which "the frame isrotatably mounted, another frame "also rotatably mounted on the samestand, a plurality of sails upon the said latter frame adaptable torotate the same when acted upon by wind pressure, iii-cans whereby thesaid sail frame may rotate the said sign board frame, and a suitableautomatically operated brake whereby the rotation of the said device maybe regulated.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device. Figure 2 is a plan view ofthe device. Figure 3 is a side elevation with parts broken away.

In the drawings the device is shown as it would be made, wherein numeral1 indicates the sign boards, numeral 2 the sails and numeral 8 the standin which the sign boards and sails are rotatably mounted.

In the design shown the signboards 1 are mounted upon the outer surfaceof a rectangular frame 4 which is made with a vertical central member 5through which the frame is rotatably mounted in the stand 3. The frame'l may be of any suitable design and may be constructedin any suitablemanner and may have as many flat side's, upon which sign boards may beplaced, as may be desired. In the design shown it is made in the form ofa square and is attached to the central memher 5 through arms 6 whichare attached to the frame by clips 7 It is also understood, however,that the frame 4 may be attached to the central member 5 by any suitablemeans. The

lower end'of the member 5 is provided with a pin 8 as shown in Figure 8and it will be observed that the upper'end of the pin is rigidly mountedin the member 5 and the lower end is rotatably mounted in a bushing 9 ina bearing 10. The bushing is made. as shown in Figure 3 so that greaseor the like may be packed in the open space between the end ofthebushing and the upper end of the bearing. The hearing may be providedwith a cover plate 11, as showmwhich will prevent rain, dirt or the likeentering the bearing.

v The upper end12 ofthe member 5 is also provided with a pin asindicated by the numeral 13 which extends to a point 14 in an opening15, and it will be observed that the frame 4 is mounted between a lowermember 16 and an interi'nediate horizontal member 17 of the stand 3,through the pin 8 and bearing at the bottom and the pin 13 at the top.

On the upper end of the pin 13 is a gear 18 having a cup 19 on the upperside thereof and the plate 20 on the upper side of the member 17 isprovided with a pin 2']. that extends into the cup 19 as shown in Figure3, so that the upper end of the pin 13 will be pivotally held. This pin21 in the cup shaped member 19 forms the bearing for the upper end ofthe circular member 5 of the sign board frame 4.

The gear 18 meshes with a pinion 22 on a stub shaft 23, the lower end ofwhich is rotatably mounted in a cup shaped bearing 24, as shown. Theupper end 25 of the stub shaft 23 is rigidly mounted in a central member26 of the sail frame 27 and between the lower end of the sail frame andthe intermediate member 17 is a brake drum 28 having brake shoes 29positioned so that they are adaptable to bear against the brake drum asthe speed of the device exceeds a predetermined amount.

It will be noted that the brake shoes 29 are positioned on the end oflevers 30 which are pivotally mounted upon the lower diagonal struts 31of the sail frame 27 through pins 32 at the points 33. The levers 30 areresiliently held inward by springs 34 and their outer ends are heldupward by members 35 which are pivotally attached to eyes 36 on thelevers 30 and also to eyes 37 on the struts 31 at the upper end of thesail frame. It will be observed that normally the springs 34 will holdthe brake shoes 29 away from the brake drum 28, however, as the speed ofthe sail frame increases the centrifugal motion will throw the weights38, at the ends of the levers 30, outward and as the speed increasesthese weights will continue to move outward so that they willgraduallyforce the brake shoes against the drum, which will retard therotation of the device with increasing friction with increasing speed.

The upper end of the central member 26 of the sail frame is providedwith a sleeve 39 having a bushing 40 in the end thereof and it will beobserved that a pin 41, extendin downward from the upper horizontalmember 42 of the stand 3, will extend into the sleeve 39 and into thebushing 40 to form a bearing. This lever may also be provided with acover as indicated by the numeral 43 if desired.

The sails 3 may be made of a flat piece of material and may be attachedto the sail frame 27 by any suitable means. In the design shown avertical post 44 is attached to the back of the sails and the lower endof this post is provided with a pin 45 which rests in a cup shapedbushing 46 in a bearing 47 which is similar to the bearing 10 of thesign board frame 4, and the upper end is provided with a sleeve 48 and abushing 49 in which a pin 50 is rotatably held and it will be observedthat this hearing is similar to the bearing at the upper ends of thecentral members 5 and 26. The sail frame 27 is provided with binnpers51, which are positioned as shown in Figure 2, to limit the movement ofthe sails so that they will be positioned to rotate the sail frame whenthe frame is in any position in relation to the wind.

It will be noted that these sails are eccentrically mounted at thecorners of the frame so that the wind current will automatically placethe sails at the correct angle through which the greatest amount ofefficiency will be obtained; and so that each sail will actindependently. The sails will strike the bumpers which will stop andhold them in the correct position throughout the effective part of eachcycle.

In the design shown the stand 3 is made with horizontal base members 16upon which vertical posts 52 are mounted and it will be observed thatthe horizontal intermediate member 17, and also the upper horizontalmember 42, extend outward from the posts and are held. by diagonalbraces as shown. It will be observed that these braces may be arrangedas shown, or the horizontal members held to the posts, or the stand 3constructed or supported in any other suitable manner.

It will be understood that other changes may be made in the constructionwithout departing from the spirit of the invention, one of which changesmay be in the use of other means for mounting the rotating frames in thestand, another may be in the use of other means for causing one frame torotate by the other, or for controlling the rotation of the frame, andstill another may be in the use of other means for causing the signboard frame to rotate by the wind.

The construction will be readily understood from the foregoingdescription. To use the device it may be constructed and assembled asshown with any suitable signs, which may be changed as desired, placedupon the boards 1 and with the device positioned where the wind maystrike the sails 3. It will be noted that the wind will cause the sailsto rotate the upper frame and this will in turn rotate the lower framethrough the gears, and should the upper frame rotate too rapidly thecentrifugal. motion will throw the weights 38 outward so that thefriction of the brake shoes against the brake drum will be increased.and this will regluate the rotation of the frame. It will therefore beob served that this device will provide a very eflicient and inexpensivemethod for operating a plurality of sign boards on a rotating frame,thereby providing a very simple and inexpensive and at the same timeunique advertising or display device.

It will be understood that any other suitable means may be used incombination with the device for advertising purposes as an airplane, asindicated by the numeral 53 and shown in Figure 3, which may be attachedto the upper end of the pin 41 which may rotate with the sail frame 27and the pin may also extend upward, as shown in Figure 1 and the upperend provided with a gear box 5e having a crank 55 attached to a dummy 56so that as the device rotates the crank will operate the dummy so thatit will appear as though the dummy were operating the device. It will beunderstood, however, that any other suitable devicemay be used incoml'iination with the frames for advertising or other purposes.

Having thus fully described the invention what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a wind operated rotary sign board of the class described, acomparatively large rectangular shaped frame having a lower horizontalmember, an upper horizontal member, and vertical struts connecting thesaid ed to be engaged by the said sails through out the entire width ofthe sails.

3. In a Wind operated rotary sign board of the character described, abox like frame, a supporting frame, means for rotatably mounting thesaid box like frame in the said supporting frame, signs on the said boxlike frame, a smaller box like frame positioned above the said largerframe, means forrotatably mounting the said smaller frame in the saidsupporting frame independent of the said larger frame, means forrotating the said larger frame by the smaller frame, suitable sailsrotatably mounted at both their upper and lower edges upon and at thecorners of the said smaller frame and with the length of the leadingportion greater than that of the trailing portion and rigid stops onthesaid smaller frame adapted to be engaged by the said sails throughoutthe entire width of the sails.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LOUIS A. BURCH.

members; sign boards on the fiat vertical sides of the said frame, asupporting frame, a downwardly extending pin in the center of the saidlower horizontal member, a cup in the said supporting frame into whichthe said pin extends forming an exposed grease retaining bearing, asimilar bearing at the top with the cup in the said upper horizontalmember and the pin in the supporting member, a superimposed framesomewhat smaller and of similar construction, similar bearings rotatablymounting said superimposed frame in said supporting frame, a flatrectangular shaped sail at each corner of the said superimposedframefmeans for pivotally mounting the said sails at both the upper andlower edges with the leading portion somewhat longer than the trailingportion, rigid vertical bars on the frame positioned to be engaged byand to form stops for the saidsails, and suitable gears for operatingthe large frame by the superimposed frame.

2. In a wind operated rotary sign board of the character described, abox like frame, a supporting frame in which the said box like frame isrotatably mounted, a somewhat smaller superimposed box like framealsorotatably mounted in the said supporting frame and positioned abovethelarger frame, means for rotating the la-rgerframe by the smaller,sign boards onthe' sides of the said larger frame, suitable sailsrotatably mounted at both their upper and lower edges upon and at thecorners of the said smaller frame and with the length of the leadingportion greater than that of the trailing portion and rigid stops on thesaid smaller frame adapt-

